Predators
Directed by Nimrod Antal
Starring Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Danny Trejo, Walton Goggins
Rated R
Release date: July 9, 2010

Predators, the long-awaited second sequel to the 1987 sci-fi/action classic Predator that continued to further Arnold Schwarzenegger’s reputation as the decade’s preeminent action hero and introduced a memorable movie monster in the form of an alien hunter with a grotesque face and a nasty attitude, has a lot to live up to and a whole lot to make up for. It’s the third film in a franchise that was pronounced dead more than a decade ago after the subpar box office of 1990’s Stephen Hopkins-directed, Danny Glover-starring Predator 2 (a movie I really enjoy even though it can’t hold a candle to the original) and was buried even deeper by 20th Century Fox’s lackluster (and that’s putting it kindly) attempt to merge it with its moribund Alien franchise, a concept that worked beautifully in the novels and Dark Horse comic series, but failed miserably on the big screen.

For a while it seemed like the series’ devoted fans would never get the chance to see what a true Predator sequel could be, and that’s where Robert Rodriguez comes in. Back in the mid-1990’s Rodriguez, along with pal and frequent collaborator Quentin Tarantino, was the toast of the independent movie scene after his low-budget directorial debut El Mariachi became a small sensation and showed what a gifted and dedicated filmmaker could do with only a $7,000 budget and an unlimited imagination to make the movie. Hot off the success of El Mariachi, Rodriguez was courted by Fox to help revive the Predator series and Rodriguez wrote a treatment that was ambitious in scope and long rumored to contain roles for both Schwarzenegger and Glover’s characters from the first two films. It was called Predators and the treatment was put back on the shelf as Rodriguez focused on building his filmmaking career.

This weekend saw the release of Predators, which is the second Predator sequel (not counting the two Alien vs. Predator movies), and comes 23 years after the release of the first Predator film, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Predators producer Robert Rodriguez (who also wrote early drafts of the screenplay) has stated that the new movie is a straight sequel to Predator, with no regard to the second film, 1990’s Predator 2 starring Danny Glover (and like GoD staffer Vactor always asks, in what universe is Danny Clover an action hero?).

I loved the first Predator movie in all its 80s action-movie glory, and thankfully Predators does a fine job at bringing the Predator mythos to modern-day audiences.

Predators has several nods to its predecessor, but goes beyond being just ‘more of the same.’ The film sees a group of humans dropped one by one into a jungle area. None of them have any knowledge of how they got there or why they were brought there. Most of them are armed and understandable suspicious of one another. As they search the area for clues to unravel the mystery of their circumstance, they realize that they’re actually on some kind of game preserve — the problem is, they’re the game! Hunting them are the Predators, an alien race of creatures who live for the hunt and make trophies of their kill. Now, the humans have to figure out a way to not only survive, but to escape!

If you’ve seen Predators, then it’s time for some SPOILER TALK. Continue reading for my SPOILER-filled thoughts on the movie, and feel free to leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.

Are you looking for something that will make you think that you have been dosed with a weird drug in your popcorn butter? Well Splice will do that without a doubt. If you are looking for an odd trip through the world of science fiction with a mix of morality and touch of suspense, than this is definitely your movie.

Adrien Brody plays his normal out there character, Clive, that we have all started to expect out of him. We also get Elsa, an odd almost sadistic character portrayed by Sarah Polley. Along with these two human characters we also get Dren, a heavily CGI creature played by Delphine Chaneac and Abigail Chu that will probably keep you thoroughly weirded out throughout the entire movie.

So if you are a fan of movies like Alien or Predator, than get ready for a very interesting ride through cloning and other ethical dilemmas. Science fiction will definitely not be revolutionized by this movie, but it is an interesting movie that gets the audience to ask a lot of questions of the world and themselves. Overall I had a good experience with this very rare quality sci-fi flick and would definitely recommend it to friends who don’t mind a very weird experience at the movies.

Well whether or not you are ready for it, it is that time again SPOILER TALK! The following are my spoiler-filled thoughts about the movie and you should definitely stop by the comment section and leave your thoughts as well.

Summer you say? Already? We thought it was like February still…no?

Yes indeed, that joyous time of year when movie fans can put their brains away to hibernate for a few months (for the most part), and bask in the glory that is the summer movie season. It’s time to re-open the cinematic buffet and, as always, this year will deliver all of the bangs and booms, the violence and sex, and the shocks and laughs that you the moviegoers crave when the sun is at its hottest.

This year is a little different than we’ve been used to — almost like a year off in terms of true spectacle. There’s more than your fair share of big names and sequels being released, but unlike last year and even next year, the summer won’t be dominated by them. Instead, there’s plenty of remakes, adaptations, and a mixture of all genres from the traditional action-packed firework festivals and comedies to less-traditional fare such as historical epics, science fiction horrors, cult classics-in-the-making, and psychological mind-benders.

Allow me not to waste anymore of your time. Grab the biggest, buttery bucket of popcorn and as many liter-o-colas as you can carry, then leap on over to the other side for your biggest and best guide to upcoming movies in our very own Summer Movie Mayhem 2010!

As promised, a trailer for the Robert Rodriguez produced and Nimród Antal directed reboot, Predators, has been unleashed online.

The trailer is pretty awesome and it begins by showing us the group of humans after they’ve first been brought to this mysterious jungle planet. After that, you’ll get to peek at each of the cast and see a lot of tense moments as the humans fight to survive, as well as a few peeks at the vicious Predators who are hunting them. Overall, it’s a very effective trailer; it looks like they nailed the tone of 1987’s Predator while adding some nasty new creatures and a hell of a lot more of them than the one deadly alien from the original film.

Remain in the shadows and cautiously make your way over to the other side to watch the first trailer for Predators!